Construct:
The focus of this research is on the right consumers to use when developing new product concepts. These consumers are said to possess an emergent nature,
defined as the unique capability to imagine or envision how concepts might be further developed so that they will be successful in the mainstream marketplace (Hoffman et al. 2010). This ability is argued to arise from a unique set of personality traits and processing abilities. For example, emergent consumers exhibit openness to new experiences and ideas, are able to experientially explore and rationally investigate unique alternatives in new product development contexts, and possess the ability to process information both experientially and rationally (Hoffman et al. 2010).
Description:
The scale consists of eight items, which compose a single unidimensional measure. All items were measured on a 7-point strongly disagree–strongly agree scale response format. Summed versions of the scale were apparently used in the analyses. (As shown below, similar procedures were also used to develop a domain-specific lead user scale as a competing or comparative measure.)
Development:
Item analyses reduced an initial set of items to 17. The first estimate of reliability for the eight-item scale was 0.93. The same estimate of reliability is reported for the combined sample of 1,124. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the measure is distinct but correlated with dispositional innovativeness (r = 0.37) (Steenkamp and Gielens 2003) and the domain-specific lead user measure (r = 0.39). Additional details regarding the scale's development are provided in a series of web appendices. Overall, the scale was based heavily on psychological theories of information processing and trait-based personality.
Samples:
Study 1 is based on the responses of 1,124 English-speaking adults and members of a global online panel. The sample was split into a calibration sample (n = 754) and validation sample (n = 370). Study 2a participants were drawn from the Study 1 sample. In Study 2b, 631 English-speaking adults were selected from an online global panel. Study 2c was composed of 97 and 95 individuals from a global online panel. Study 3a and 3b involved the responses of 185 adults and 207 adults purchased from a commercial research panel.
Validity:
Evidence of scale validation was extensive. To begin, the coefficient alpha estimate was 0.94 in the validation sample. Moderate correlations were again observed with the related constructs. Regression analyses demonstrated that the emergent nature measure added predictive value beyond innovativeness and lead user status regarding a series of personality and information processing scales (Hoffman et al. 2010). As summarized by the authors, multiple studies in both group and individual settings and across the home delivery and oral care product categories demonstrated that emergent consumers are able to develop product concepts that mainstream consumers will
find significantly more appealing than concepts developed by typical, lead user, or innovative consumers.
Example results include the following. The emergent nature scale was found positively related as predicted with openness to experience, verbal and visual processing,
experiential and rational thinking style, creativity, and optimism (Hoffman et al. 2010). Moreover, lead status did not enhance prediction beyond emergent nature in any of these validation scales. Based on a sample of 631 adult consumers from a global online panel (Study 2), results reveal that a new product concept developed in a group setting by emergent consumers was rated significantly higher than similar concepts developed by lead users, innovative consumers, and control participants. In a follow-up study, the high emergent [p. 113 ↓ ] concept as found rated higher than the lead user concept on 11 product attributes. Similar results were found for an oral care category product (Study 3) developed in individual settings. Overall, the concepts were found more appealing and associated with higher purchase intent when developed by high emergent nature consumers. Interestingly, the emergent nature consumers tended to emphasize utilitarian attributes relative to the lead user study participants.
Scores:
From the article web appendix, the range of the scale was reported as 8 to 56 with a mean of 36.88 and a standard deviation of 9.78 for the combined sample of 1,124.
Source:
Hoffman, Donna L., Praveen K. Kopalle, and Thomas P. Novak (2010), “The ‘Right’ Consumers for Better Concepts: Identifying and Using Consumers High in Emergent Nature to Further Develop New Product Concepts,” Journal of Marketing Research, forthcoming.
Reference:
Steenkamp, Jan-Benedict E.M. and Katrijn Gielens (2003), “Consumer and Market Drivers of the Trial Rate of New Consumer Products,” Journal of Consumer Research, 30 (December), 368–84.
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High in Emergent Nature Consumers
(Hoffman, Kopalle, and Novak 2010)
Emergent Nature
• When I hear about a new product or service idea, it is easy to imagine how it might be developed into an actual product or service.
• Even if I don't see an immediate use for a new product or service, I like to think about how I might use it in the future.
• When I see a new product or service idea, it is easy to visualize how it might fit into the life of an average person in the future.
• If someone gave me a new product or service idea with no clear application, I could “fill in the blanks” so someone else would know what to do with it. • Even if I don't see an immediate use for a new product or service, I like to
imagine how people in general might use it in the future.
• I like to experiment with new ideas for how to use products and services. • I like to find patterns in complexity.
• I can picture how products and services of today could be improved to make them more appealing to the average person.
Domain-Specific Lead User
• Other people consider me as “leading edge” with respect to home delivery of goods.
• I have pioneered some new and different ways for home delivery of goods. • I have suggested to stores and delivery services some new and different
ways to deliver goods at home.
• I have participated in offers by stores to deliver goods to my home in new and different ways.
• I have come up with some new and different solutions to meet my needs for the home delivery of goods.
Note: All items were measured on a 7-point Likert scale with strongly disagree and strongly agree as endpoints.
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